1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a called subscriber selecting system provided in a switching network accommodating a plurality of subscribers and, in particular, relates to a called subscriber selecting system for allowing an origination subscriber to select a called subscriber from a plurality of called subscribers who responded to a collection or a call to select the subscribers, by using the switching network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional switching network (for example, telephone switching network), when an origination subscriber calls a called subscriber, the switching network connects the origination subscriber to the called subscriber by selecting subscriber identifying information (for example, telephone number) on the called subscriber.
For the case of a conventional switching network which offers a pilot number service, a key subscriber group is provided to a plurality of designated subscribers. When an origination subscriber calls a called subscriber who belongs to the key subscriber group, the switching network connects the origination subscriber to the called subscriber by selecting key group identifying information (for example, pilot number) and connects the origination subscriber to the called subscriber in accordance with a key subscriber selecting system introduced to the switching network.
As is apparent from the above description, the conventional switching network has simply selected a called subscriber on the basis of the subscriber identifying information or the key group identifying information on the called subscriber.
For example, in a lottery supported by a private sponsor, it has recently become frequent that a sponsor collects participants who desire to win or to be selected and selects a winner from the participants. In this case, the advertisement for the collection has been made by using the communication media such as mail or the public media such as newspaper, radio broadcasting, television broadcasting, and participants corresponded to the collection by the communication media such as mail. Meanwhile, upon reception of the written responses, the sponsor selects a winner from the participants and notifies the result of the selection to the winner by the communication media such as mail.
Since telephone communication is now widely spread, it is certainly possible to use the telephone system for responding to the collection and sending the selected result to the winner, but the selection itself is intrinsically the action conducted by the sponsor and it has been impossible to realize such selection through the switching network.
A variety of further services can be provided in addition to or instead of the lottery mentioned above, for selecting particular subscribers by using the telephone system as the communication medium. For example, it is also possible to consider as new service using the telephone system by which a sponsor plans to previously collect a plurality of called subscribers who desire to be selected and make an ordinary or designated origination subscriber who participates in the plan select a called subscriber from the subscribers.